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Doing The Perfect Push-Up
Could the push-up be the "perfect exercise"? Here's
what it can do for you, and how to get it right.
By Colette Bouchez
WebMD Weight Loss Clinic - Feature
While fitness fads may come and go as fast as their
late-night infomercials, some types of exercise
transcend trends. Among them is the push-up, which
uses your own body weight along with gravity to tone
and condition muscles. Some fitness experts have
called the push-up the closest thing there is to a
perfect exercise. And with good reason.
"One
of the reasons the push-up has endured so long is
it's cheap, it's easy, it doesn't require any
equipment, it can work multiple parts of the body at
the same time -- and pretty much everyone, from
beginners to athletes, can derive benefits," says
personal trainer Jonathan Ross, a spokesman for the
American Council on Exercise (ACE).
What
kind of benefits? If you're thinking the push-up is
the best upper body exercise, many fitness experts
agree. But, personal trainer Jessica Bottesch tells
WebMD, the push-up benefits many muscle groups
body-wide.
"The
primary movers [the major muscle groups that produce
the motion of a push-up] are the chest and tricep.
However, if you look at the form your body takes
during the perfect push-up, you're typically
suspended from your toes all the way to your neck,
so in reality, every muscle between your shoulders
and your toes is engaged," says Bottesch, co-owner
of Empower Personal Training in Durham, N.C.
This
includes the all important core muscles of the
trunk, as well as the abdominals, legs and hips, she
says.
And
for women, Bottesch tells WebMD, the push-up has an
extra benefit.
"A
push-up is considered a resistance exercise, so in
addition to muscle strengthening, you also get
bone-building effects. It can be as effective as
working out with weights," says Bottesch.
The Perfect Push-up: Mastering the
Basics
Although there are many variations on the push-up,
the basic principal remains the same: Engage your
upper back, shoulders, and arms to lift your body
weight off the floor, then slowly lower it back
down. While that sounds simple, experts say there's
plenty of room for mistakes.
"The
biggest mistake people make when doing a push-up is
to try and take some of the stress off their arms by
using other muscle groups to help lift their body,
so they don't get the full benefits," says Todd
Schlifstein, DO, a rehabilitation physician at the
Langone Medical Center's Rusk Institute at New York
University and assistant professor at the NYU School
of Medicine.
Ross
agrees: "Body weight should be lifted by your arms,
and don't use your butt or stomach or the lower half
of your body to pull you up," he says.
The
correct movement for the perfect push-up, he says,
is smooth, "with no swaying of the hips as you go up
and down."
Bottesch adds that it's also important to keep a
straight line from your head down to your ankles
when you're in the lifted position.
Another tip to get the most out of your push-ups:
Don't let your chest actually touch the floor when
you come down.
"Your chest should come within 2 to 3 inches of the
floor. Put a textbook, a sneaker, a rolled-up sock
underneath you, and when you touch it, it's time to
go back up," says Ross, who was named ACE's 2008
personal trainer of the year.
Now
if all this sounds a bit daunting for your
out-of-shape body, fear not. There are ways to make
push-ups easier while still gaining the benefits.
"If
you're having trouble ... lifting the whole body in
the proper alignment, you can do the same exercise,
but do it on your knees," says Schlifstein. While
you still need to keep a straight line from neck to
torso, by engaging the knees you'll reduce your
lifting load by about half.
For
those looking to minimize tension on the wrist, Ross
says a variation called the "knuckle push-up" can
help. For this type of push-up, you close your hands
and put your weight on your knuckles instead of your
palms, avoiding the wrist extension motion. But be
sure to do this type of push-up on a padded mat or
carpet.
"Because there is clearly less fat on this part of
the hand, you really do need to add some type of
padding if you are going to try this," says Ross.
The
Perfect Push-up: How-to's for Beginners
If
you haven't done any kind of push-up -- let alone a
perfect one -- since your high school gym teacher
stood over you with a whistle and a scowl, don't
worry. There are several ways to ease into doing
push-ups.
One
option is to use a low bench to prop up your arms,
and then do either a regular push-up or the
knees-on-the-floor version, Bottesch says.
"If
you put your feet on the floor and put your hands on
the bench, you can work on getting the body form
right with much less strain," she says.
If
even a kneeling push-up with a bench is too tough
for you, there's an even easier way to begin.
You
don't have to lie down at all, Ross tells WebMD.
Instead, do your push-ups standing against the wall,
which dramatically reduces the pressure on arms and
upper back. To make it simpler still, stand closer
to the wall.
"With your feet very close to the wall, there is
almost no strain, but it still allows you to keep
your body in alignment so you get a real sense of
how it should feel," says Ross. As you gain
strength, keep moving your feet further away until
you feel confident enough to try push-ups on the
floor.
The Perfect Push-up Gadgets: What
Works
Although the push-up doesn't require any equipment
at all, that doesn't mean it hasn't found its way
into a late-night infomercial or two. There are a
variety of push-up gadgets on the market, designed
to put variety into your routine. Most are based on
some of type of handle you hang on to during the
exercise -- and it might surprise you to learn that
experts say they can work.
"They provide variation in your workout, plus the
basic handle design is especially good for anyone
who has an issue with keeping their wrists fully
extended," says Ross.
Taking the handle concept a step further are devices
like the one called the "Perfect Pushup," which
incorporate a swiveling action. By rotating the arms
while lifting the body, you may be able to increase
your range of motion, which in turn increases
benefits, Schlifstein says.
Even
without gadgets, experts say, you can put variety
into your push-up routine by changing up your
positions. For example, there's the one-handed
push-up, though experts say it's not for the faint
of heart.
"This requires not only upper body strength, but
also a very good sense of balance, so you really
have to be in pretty good shape to try this," says
Schlifstein.
Another advanced option: With your hands on the
floor, elevate your feet on a low bench behind you
as you do push-ups. "It's an amazing workout, but I
don't recommend anyone try this unless they have
really mastered a regular floor push-up," says
Bottesch.
A
word of caution: If you feel pain while doing any
type of push-up, particularly if the discomfort is
focused on one joint, stop working out and talk to
your doctor, Bottesch says. And if you have shoulder
or elbow issues, including any previous injuries to
those areas, Bottesch says push-ups may not be the
exercise for you.
6 More Perfect Push-up Tips From the
Pros
Here
are six more tips from the exercise experts to help
you perfect your push-up technique:
Keep
making small changes in your routine, like angling
your hands or changing how far apart they are. This
will ensure that you keep gaining benefits.
When
starting out, use a "spotter" -- someone to watch
the angle of your body. If that's not possible, do
your push-ups next to a mirror where you can turn
your head and catch a glimpse of your form.
As
you lower yourself toward the ground, the first
thing that should graze the floor is your chest. If
your hips or legs come down first, you're doing it
wrong.
For
toning muscles (and for smooth, jiggle-free upper
arms) you need more repetitions with less body
weight, so go for push-ups on your knees or standing
at a wall.
To
build muscle mass in your upper arms and back, go
for fewer reps with maximum weight load. Do push-ups
with your legs straight out, and bring your chest no
lower than 2 inches from the ground.
Remember that while a push-up helps tone muscles
body-wide, it doesn't offer much in the way of
cardio benefits, and it won't help develop the
"pull" muscles in your back. So be sure to include
other exercises in your regular workouts.
©
WebMD. All rights reserved.
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"One of the reasons the push-up
has endured so long is it's cheap, it's easy, it
doesn't require any equipment, it can work
multiple parts of the body at the same time --
and pretty much everyone, from beginners to
athletes, can derive benefits." |
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